1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet-decorating molding method for laminating a decorative sheet to the surface of a resin molding to produce a sheet-decorated molding provided on its surface with a pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sheet-decorating injection molding method for forming a pattern on the surface of a resin molding has been prevalently used. This known sheet-decorating injection molding method attaches a decorative sheet to the surface of a molding by holding a decorative sheet between the male and the female mold of an injection mold, joining the male and the female mold, clamping the injection mold, injecting a fluid resin into a cavity formed in the injection mold to fill up the cavity. This sheet-decorating injection molding method often uses acrylic resin sheets because acrylic resin sheets are satisfactory in transparency, weather resistance, adhesion and thermoforming property. However, acrylic resin sheets laminated to the surfaces of moldings are liable to be damaged. A method proposed to protect an acrylic resin sheet from damage involves coating the surfaces of the acrylic resin sheet with a hard film of an ultraviolet-setting or electron-beam setting material. If the surface of the molding has a complicated shape like that formed by deep drawing or that having portions having large curvatures, a decorative sheet to be laminated to a molding needs to be formed so as to conform to the surface of the cavity of an injection mold for preforming. When thus preforming a decorative sheet, the hard film coating the surface of the decorative sheet affects adversely the formability of the decorative sheet.